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Defender Picks

Hola Nola! For a second installment of this mixtape series I've decided to do a spotlight on our beloved WTUL, Tulane's own 91.5 FM. The station is compiled of both affiliates and non-affiliates, however speaking from experience, you'll have to fight the throng of ever-eager freshmen just to nab the left-over after-hours time slots. Regardless of my distrust in its claim to bring on non-Tulane attendees, I have a lot of respect for WTUL and it's mission to play the utmost alternative and non-commericial material, heard nowhere else on the waves (this means a lot considering I spent four years as a loyal DJ with my own college station, and a religious listener to possibly the best college radio of our time, Emerson's WERS).

No, in New Orleans we have another Super Sunday. Tribes of Mardi Gras Indians can of course be seen on Mardi Gras. (Res ipso Loquitor.) However on the night of St. Joseph's Day, all the tribes take to the street to dance and do battle. Likewise, in years past, on Super Sunday, the Sunday preceding St. Joseph's, all 50 + tribes emerge in sunlight about down, as second lines abound, and neighborhoods celebrate their defenders.

Welcome to Hola NOLA, presenting music recommendations chock full of local artists, New Orleans inspired/related tunes, bands who will be passing through, new tracks and album release spotlights, and the occasional random jam that I deem as a must-hear (ya heard). I’ve been exiled in the cold North for a few months; so, I'm going to kick off the series with a collection for those of us who know what it means to miss New Orleans.

Today, we go deep into the 9th Ward to deliver a construction communique concerning improvements to two beloved institutions: the Mardi Gras Zone and the Country Club.

- The Mardi Gras Zone (MGZ to locals) on Royal did manage to go from Zone to Market with a new sign installed just in time for the big weekend. Aesthetics aside, the lingering question remains, "What about the Pizza Joint!?"

Even Yats who opt to forgo the parades for a grillout or a staycation in front of the television can not hep but finding themselves in posession of those iconic plastic beads. So, as the excitement of Carnival subsides, we are left wondering what the hell to do with these things.

The easiest answer is the garbage. The truly unmotivated will let them sit about tangled and forlorn on the floor for months. Conversely, the truly motivated will take their loot to the Salvation Army. However, somewhere between lies the purgatory that is ebay. The online retailer lists thousands of Mardi Gras lots; almost 500 for doubloons alone.